


Watch Them Pass By

by ancoralefay



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Nightmares, Platonic Cuddling, one water-based analogy, pre-suffering game
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-31
Updated: 2017-03-31
Packaged: 2018-10-13 09:48:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,716
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10511292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ancoralefay/pseuds/ancoralefay
Summary: Magnus isn't sleeping.Taako doesn't know what to do with this information.





	

Magnus isn’t sleeping.

Taako doesn’t know what to do with this information.

Humans need sleep. Right? That was a thing. Taako was cool on a few hours of meditation every few days, easy peasy. But humans – they need a regular schedule of snooze time. And Magnus wasn’t getting it.

It wasn’t really Taako’s business. He certainly wouldn’t want Magnus or Merle calling _him_ out on all his bad habits. But this was starting to drag down the team mojo. Magnus would emerge from his room every morning into the common space the reclaimers shared with eyes darker than the morning before, smile a little more forced. Their training sessions were becoming fucking ridiculous – Magnus would dart out of the way a moment too late, taking the brunt of big hits over and over. Or, he would try and dive in front of a shot aimed at Taako or Merle – nothing new there – but end up barrelling into them instead, knocking them all to a heap on the floor. They were all three considerably more bruised than they had been since they had first signed up with the Bureau.

Carey and Killian were clearly concerned - but when they tried saying something, Magnus just brushed them off. He would storm off from the training room the moment they were done, not saying a word to anyone.

Merle gave everyone shit, but had stayed surprisingly quiet on this front. He seemed to be giving Magnus space to sort out whatever was bothering him on his own. That, or he just didn’t want to deal with it. Taako put his money on the latter, if only because he was in the same fucking boat.

But sometimes you do what you gotta do for the good of the team. Or you tell yourself that, because you don’t want to know the alternative.

So when Magnus was heading to his room that night, Taako called, “You actually gonna get some shut-eye, bubbeleh?”

Magnus stopped. He turned to face where Taako was draped over the couch. His face was uncharacteristically blank. “What do you mean?”

“I mean you haven’t slept in days, weeks maybe.” said Taako, “You want a lil’ magic to help you on your way?” He wiggled his fingers playfully.

Magnus’ expression shuttered, and his voice turned cold, “I don’t need your spells, Taako. Save the slot.” He turned, heading towards his bedroom. Taako leapt from the couch and grabbed his arm.  
“Wait. I’m – sorry? I guess? I just wanted to help. You’ve been looking rough, buddy, we can all see it.” 

Magnus looked down at Taako’s hand, then up into his eyes. His expression softened at whatever he saw there. He took Taako’s hand and gently removed it from his arm. “I’m fine, Taako.” Magnus patted him on the shoulder, smile not at all convincing, “Sorry you’re worried, but it’s nothing.” He turned to go. 

Shit.

“What about something else?” Taako blurted out, “I make a mean sleepy-time tea.”

Magnus stopped, surprised. Taako was too - when was the last time he offered to make someone fucking _tea_? Dude probably didn’t even drink tea. Magnus seemed to think on it for a second, then shrugged. “Alright. Worth a try, I guess.”

Taako grinned. He whirled into the small suite kitchen and started opening cabinets right and left, pulling out the ingredients he needs. Magnus came and pulled out a stool, sitting hesitantly. He drummed his fingers on the table to an absent beat. Taako spun in front of him, grabbing at containers: chamomile base, some lavender, a few chocolate flakes, a spoonful of butter and – voila! 

Taako pushed the steaming, frothing, frankly slightly unnerving looking drink towards Magnus. He made no movement towards it. 

“It’s good, kemosabe,” Taako murmured, “Trust me.”

Magnus eyed the mug warily, but rushed in regardless, taking a long, deep drink. Almost instantly, his eyelids began to droop. His body visibly slumped, and he let out a long sigh. “This is good,” Magnus mumbled, taking another sip. Taako’s lips quirked in a small smile.

“Yeah bud, just like magic.”

  
  


_It’s dark. Magnus hears a voice._

_“They are extremely dangerous. They cannot be trusted. If you see one, report it to me over your Stone of Far Speech immediately. And just run away, you are not ready. Don’t listen to a word they say, they will lie to you to get you to do whatever they want, but their purposes are evil, Magnus, they are beings of pure concentrated evil.”  
“But how do you know?”_

_“I - I’ve had my fair share of run-ins with the Red Robes.”_

_“And they’ve all been evil?”_

_“Invariably.”_

_Magnus is looking in a mirror. He sees himself, and watches, frozen in place, as he changes. He wears a red robe. Like wax dripping from a candle, his face turns skeletal. Behind him, he sees a soulwood arm torn at one end thrown aside the crumpled form of a dwarf. He sees a body crooked on the ground, hair splayed out, bloody and matted, familiar eyes staring out into nothing._

_His reflection smiles._

 

Taako woke up to screaming. 

He bolted out of his room, tripping frantically over his own feet, and was at Magnus’ door in an instant. He thought about knocking, but another scream rips through the night and he’s wrenching the handle open.

It’s like walking into the eye of a storm. It’s quiet. The air was still, and Magnus wasn’t moving. He was sitting up in his bed, head in his hands. Taako was frozen. Then he noticed there was no rise and fall of Magnus’ chest. He rushed forward and gently took Magnus’ hands in his own, pulling them from his face. “Breathe, big guy,” he said nervously, “C’mon, Maggie, deep breath,”

To his relief, Magnus sucked in a rattling breath and opened his eyes. They lock with Taako’s for a moment before falling to the side. Taako was perplexed to see a deep flush colour Magnus’ face as he muttered, “Guess that tea worked after all.” Silence, then: “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to – I’m sorry to wake you, this is stupid, I’ll just –”

“Whoa whoa whoa lemme stop you right there, compadre. Do not be sorry for this. I was awake already, and we both know Merle sleeps like the fucking dead.” He winced, wondering if maybe that was a wrong choice of words.

Magnus’ lips twisted in what might have been a smile, but it’s empty, “I just… have a lot on my mind.”

Taako’s nose instinctively wrinkled in distaste at what he was about to ask. He was out of his element here. He took a deep breath, “Do you want to… talk about it?”

“I can’t.” Magnus replied immediately.

Maybe Taako winces, because Magnus was instantly backtracking. “It’s not that I don’t want to, I just – there’s some stuff you can’t – I don’t know how to – I’m sorry.”

Taako shook his head, “I getcha, buddy. Just – are you sure? I’m not exactly a star example, but I’ve heard talking sometimes helps? And I – I want to help you.” He squeezed Magnus’ hand gently, “You just gotta let me.”

Magnus didn’t answer. Taako was panicking internally, wondering if it would be cool if he just booked it out of the room, or hell better yet off this fucking moon altogether, when Magnus said, “When I first met – I mean. When I was first an apprentice, I had to go to the city to deliver a bookcase. It was my first solo piece, and I was super proud of it, so I was allowed to take it myself. It was a two-day journey by boat.”

Magnus paused. He cocked his head, eyes staring off into memory.

“The moment the shore was out of sight, I started feeling sick. It was like – like the sea itself had turned against me. The kinda sick where there’s nowhere you can go, nowhere you can run or hide to escape it. It didn’t matter that I knew why it was happening. It didn’t matter that I knew I’d see the shore again soon. For those few days, I felt sick and empty and still it didn’t stop. I’d never felt so useless, so _helpless_.” He turned, and looked at Taako, “It feels like that.”

Taako was quiet for a moment. For once, he doesn’t know what to say.

So, he doesn’t say anything. He leaned forward and wrapped his arms around Magnus’ neck, pulling him in tight. Taako feels Magnus tense beneath him and almost pulls away right then, but after an instant he relaxes and broad hands curl around him gently. Magnus sighed, and buried his face into the crook of Taako’s neck.

Beyond their breath, the room was silent. Taako stroked his fingers over Magnus’ hair, voice stuck in his throat.

“Look for the horizon, Mags,” Taako whispered, “There’s always a horizon. Even if it feels a million miles away. Or,” Taako swallowed.

“Sometimes – sometimes you gotta jump in the water,” he said, “It’s not always better than the boat, but at least it’s a move forward. Face what’s hurting you, you feel me? Swim to shore,” His fingers tightened in Magnus’ hair, “But take a fucking lifeline because _gods_ Magnus, you are not alone in this.”

Taako felt Magnus’ hands clench in his shirt, and then the man was sobbing. Great, wracking sobs that shook them both. All the while, Taako carded one hand through Magnus’ hair, the other rubbing circles across his back. He looked up at the ceiling and wondered, with a sudden and fierce anger, in what world it was fair for someone as innately _good_ as Magnus to feel this way. Taako blinked back the heat in his eyes and clutched Magnus a little tighter.

After a few minutes, he quieted. Taako pulled back a little, looking at Magnus’ face. His eyes were red, head leaning forward. Taako quietly tipped him back so they were lying face to face on the bed. Then he tucked himself in close, burying his face into Magnus’ chest. Magnus sighed, and pulled Taako into his arms.

“Thanks,” Magnus whispered, so faint that Taako might have missed it if they weren’t so close.

Taako just holds him tighter. And for the first time in weeks, Magnus sleeps until morning.

**Author's Note:**

> This was v indulgent ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯
> 
> I don’t recommend jumping off boats to relieve seasickness. Taako is not an expert. Or if he is, and has some boat degree, I’ve never seen it.


End file.
